


Restart, Retry

by Ciaossu



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Celica deserves a good dad, Gen, Saber is her dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 12:50:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13124088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ciaossu/pseuds/Ciaossu
Summary: She was silent. It didn’t make him feel better. He counted in his head as he waited for her to say something. “You swore your sword to me.”





	Restart, Retry

Saber shifted the pack once more as he passed. The last thing he needed was to lose his things while riding. He was annoyed enough that he had to “borrow” the animal in the first place. The last thing he wanted was for his time on the horse to be even longer. Said animal made a noise, and he huffed in return. At least the both of them were unhappy with this.

They’d beaten a god. Not something many people could say. He wondered how that would sound if he pitched it to future employers. “Yeah, I’m good. Helped take down Duma, you’ll get your money’s worth.” Though he supposed it could go good or bad, depending on just who he was pitching to.

Either way. That’d be something to decide later, when he was finding someone to pitch to. For now, his job was done. Had been done for a long while now, actually. And yet he’d stuck around. Saber frowned. Wasn’t like him. Best not something to repeat. He’d need to make some new rules for the next job he took. End it when they first say it’s to end. Money upfront, no promises of something greater. No working for kids, no matter how easy their job claimed to be.

“Saber? What are you doing?”

Speaking of kids. Saber swore under his breath. Exactly what he’d been trying to avoid, and here it came galavanting in. He shouldn’t have been surprised, really. She seemed to have a tendency to do that. “Lass.” He greeted. He kept his eye on his new horse, annoyed as it was. He began to fuss with the bridle. “Or is that Queen Lass now? That boy you’d been worrying over seemed eager to make that move. Though suppose since you’ve been a princess all along, it would’ve happened eventually.”

“You’re rambling.” Saber frowned. Celica had always been quick. “You never ramble. What’s wrong? Why do you have a horse?”

His hands stilled. The slowly slid down, until he held the reins in his hands. He really, really had wanted to avoid this. He took a slow breath. “My job was to take you to Mila’s temple. And I did that.” He did that and more. He’d have laughed at himself months ago. “I’m pretty sure that with dead gods lying around, we can call this job finished.”

She was silent. It didn’t make him feel better. He counted in his head as he waited for her to say something. “You swore your sword to me.”

The conviction in her words would have made him laugh in a better situation. “Yeah, I did. Fair enough. But a sword ain’t much use in a time of peace, and I’m no knight. I’m a mercenary, lass, and my word’s only good so long as there’s money to entice it.”

“Then I’ll pay you.” Her reply was immediate. He frowned. For someone so hard to read, she could bare herself so easily sometimes. People’d take advantage of that if they could. “If money is the issue, then we can certainly find money somewhere-”

“You have a kingdom to think about now.” Saber replied firmly. “You can’t go throwing your money around on mercenaries. Especially when you got knights to be paying.” The last thing they needed was the knights thinking the daughter was the same kind of ruler as the father. “I can find work elsewhere, Lass. There’s no need-”

“Stop calling me that.” Her tone made him pause. It was always strange to hear Anthiese slip out. He liked Celica better. “I have a name. I know you know it. You...you’re only calling me that because you don’t want to care about me, aren’t you?”

Saber said nothing in reply. That was probably the biggest giveaway. Celica laughed, quietly. “...You don’t want to say my name because then it’s just like when you left Orna, isn’t it?”

The name of his sister made him flinch. He whirled around to argue the accusation. Celica’s eyes were shining, and there was a quiver to her shoulders that her clenched fists were trying to suppress. He didn’t say anything.

Instead he sighed, grimaced, and ran a hand through his hair. This is why he wanted to leave during the party. While everything was busy and no one would notice him slipping out and avoiding...this.

He said nothing, so it seemed that Celica decided she had to. “They would miss you, you know? Genny, Boey...even Mae. I know she doesn’t...act like it, but she was just as grateful to have you there. It wouldn’t be fair to just leave them, Saber.”

“...They’re leaving too, Celica.” He replied. “We’ve both heard them...the two brats are going off and getting married, and Genny is going off as well. None of them are staying here.” It was harsh, and he did his best not to notice her frown, but it needed to be said. “They’re moving on with their lives, just as I need to. There’s no place for me here.”

“Then we’ll find you one!” Celica moved towards him. The disappearing distance made him tense, but he wouldn’t lose face, queen or not. “And if we can’t find one then we’ll make one. And we’ll find pay for you but…” She hesitated. Unease was clear on her face. She was usually better than that. “...Valentia may not have a place for you in its castle, but I have a needed place for you by my side, Saber.”

The realization hadn’t been a surprising one, when he’d first made it. That Celica reminded him of his younger sister. She looked like her, sure, if one looked broadly and ignored the regality that always set Celica apart. It was their spirit though, that always linked them so clearly in his mind. The stubbornness. Determination. Conviction of what was right.

All those similarities though, couldn’t change the here and now. It wasn’t the shadow of his little sister he saw before him. And it wasn’t the same priory girl who’d come to him thinking a dagger and a promise was all one needed from another in this world. Before him stood their future queen. A strong woman, and still kind, who walked through hell willingly for others.

A sense of pride filled him when he looked at her. He wasn’t sure it was misplaced.

Slowly, the stubbornness ebbed away. He didn’t slump, but something in his posture gave way. With a sigh, he turned back towards the horse. He worked a bag open, tied to the front of the saddle, right within reach. From it, he pulled out the gold knife. The one she’d given him when this whole mess began. The confusion was clear on her face again when he turned to her. She was sloppy with her emotions when she was upset. Or maybe, he mused, he’d just gotten used to her.

He held the knife out for her to take. “You’ll be needing this back.”

Her eyes widened. “Saber, the knife is yours. I promised it to you, there is no need-”

“I won’t take it.” He insisted. Celica backed away from it, but he just held it out further. “I won’t be taking it from our queen like some thief, not when she needs it more than I ever could.”

She hesitated. It was clear she didn’t want it, but Saber remained firm. After a pause, slowly, she reached out and took the knife from him. He grunted approvingly before closing the pack up again. “You know, Jesse offered me a place in that new kingdom he’s planning on.”

“...And that’s where you believe your place is? At Jesse’s side?”

“By the mother, no.” Saber frowned. “We both know I’d be willing to pay you to never have to hear the man speak to Mila again.” A smile cracked Celica’s face, but she didn’t share it with him. Her attention remained on the knife in her hands. Saber’s eye flicked to it briefly before returning to her form. “That’s why. You want me to keep that knife? I’ll need a proper title to go with it. Royal mercenary ain’t exactly inspiring anybody, Lass.”

She doesn’t respond right away. He didn’t expect her to. But soon enough, her head shot up. He let her recover, untying the packs from the horse’s saddle instead. The creature still seemed annoyed that it had been disturbed. “You...you’ll stay then?”

Saber allowed the first pack to fall loose and hit the floor. He brushed his hands off before facing the young woman once more. “What, you give a rousing speech like that and then decide you don’t want me? You can’t just keep jerking me around like that, Lass.”

Celica smiled, and this time there was no hiding the expression from the world. Saber chuckled himself. Before either of them could say anything, Celica was moving. She threw her arms around him and buried her face against his chest. Saber grunted and stumbled a step, but returned the hug soon enough after. “Thank you, Saber.”

If her voice came out choked, Saber didn’t comment on it. He smiled, softly, and gently ruffled her hair. “Of course, Celica. By your side, always.”

**Author's Note:**

> WE NEVER GOT TO MAKE THIS A REALITY SO I TOOK MATTERS INTO MY OWN HANDS.


End file.
